Anorexia Nervosa
Redemption Process

THE REVIEW

Definitely apocalyptic and massive, this "Redemption Process", the fourth effort from the French AN who have so insistentely drilled our eardrums with an inexorable and piercing wall of sound behind which lay the other side of their coin, a subtle and serpentine personality with a refined melodic attitude.

Will we find the same Anorexics in this latest episode? Yes and no. Indeed, their music has become both more robust and simultaneously softened: the compositions have become even more powerful and destructive, with a devastating cadence, yet upon close listening, we no longer hear the once rabid and hydrophobic Anorexia of "New Obscurantis Order"; in short, they have changed course, and significantly so.

This is evident right from the opening track "The Shining", which is one of the most apocalyptic songs I have ever heard. An intro of choirs, bells, and synth-violins (always skilled and flawless, Monsieur Neb Xort) that in a breathtaking ascending climax leads to utter chaos: the ever-vibrant and relentless drums, although in this album I find them too "blurred" and less prominent, Monsieur Bayle's always deafening guitar, and Hreidmarr's sharp and raspy scream.

Everything is in its place, yet something has changed. Everything has taken on a much more melancholic and autumnal note, the atmosphere is no longer the diabolical and infernal one of "Drudenhaus" or "New Obscurantis Order"; the sound assumes incredible pathos, the scene becomes more theatrical and dramatic, almost tragically heroic. Certainly, the violence is still present but now it’s just a fleeting shadow that permeates the almost gothic spirit of "Redemption Process", a title that makes one ponder its contents and the reason for such an intriguing change. Read the lyrics for proof: truly sad and filled with the supreme awareness of final judgment and desperate redemption at the coming of the Apocalypse.

And this theory is confirmed with "Antinferno", another highlight of the album characterized by a majestic and convincing main riff that immediately engraves itself into the mind and a chorus that gives me chills every time I hear it; the credit goes entirely to Neb Xort who has proven capable of weaving dizzying and captivating melodic spirals with trumpets, violins, choirs, and whatever else one might conceive. Note the middle section of the track where Hreidmarr ventures into a daring clean singing in Latin that gives it an air both sweetly desperate and assertive and thundering. Applause for such a track and for the extremely picturesque and increasingly tragic lyrics, a blend of anger and resignation to a fate in God's hands.

The album rises even further with the unforgettable "Sister September", a third masterpiece in a row slammed in our faces, and here I’ve run out of compliments and descriptions for a track so bewitching, melancholically sensual, and always chiseled by a faded and shadowed fury. It’s a pity that all good things must end, indeed the following track "Worship Manifesto" is completely anonymous and uninspired from every point of view, the classic filler that weighs down the listening, and even if other songs like "An Amen" and "The Sacrament" (the latter characterized by an absolutely Christian text) maintain acceptable levels thanks to the inclusion of actual jolting choirs, the real gem is found in "Codex-Veritas": colorful and solemn from the beginning, where authoritative trumpets spring up that seem genuinely played by the angels of the apocalypse, to the middle part, where all the majesty is condensed in an almost tear-inducing orchestral interlude, to the end, where the refrain is picked up and "Codex-Veritas" rises one last time before ending in silence.

In short, this "Redemption Process" is a highly successful CD that made me dream even more than the previous "New Obscurantis Order", even though I have awarded it a higher score. It's a pity for those few dips in tone, but I don't want to give away 5 stars without reason, so 4 full stars are more than fair for an album that has proven to be apocalyptic in every single aspect, starting with the wonderful cover art.

P.S. Forgive the annoying repetitions of "apocalyptic", but I just haven't found any better terms to define such atmospheres. Apocalyptic regards.